Is Howard 'sap' Flight your MP?

[Tooting Gull]

On reflection, the thread title was probably a tad harsh, and was more a reflection of the stupidity in ruining his own career than on the man himself, who I have never met.

The tricky element of this is what you can and can't say in a supposedly 'closed' and private meeting.

As Pavilionaire says, from Flight's point of view these comments should not have made the papers. It is difficult to say there is no public interest, as it is a senior Tory suggesting his leader's promises are dodgy.

He was naive - those moments of 'honesty' clearly have to be in private conversations with like-minded colleagues if they are not to scupper your career.

 

[Pavilionaire]

It's a chicken and egg situation though. How do you know your colleagues are "like-minded" unless you discuss these types of issues with them, and when can you safely have these conversations?

On a broader level, this forthcoming election will have the lowest turnout ever because of voter apathy. And who can blame the electorate when there is such a lack of vision and imagination in tackling issues and improving living standards.

It is a sad day when the likes of Jamie Oliver and Bob Geldof shape government policy on school dinners and overseas aid.

Surely the parties should be working towards oveerhauling a complicated tax system, a failed drug policy and a creaking NHS with bold, radical policies?

Incidents like the Howard Flight taping only serve to undermine any chance of thinking outside the square, and consign us to uninspiring politics with little to choose between the 3 parties.

 

[Gully]

I agree with much of what you have said Pavillionaire but think that a couple of points need clarifying.

What Flight has actually achieved is to highlight the fact that the Tories were intending to reduce the amount of tax collected, if they gain power, this would be at the expense of public services. One of the main pillars of Thatcherism was that people should be encouraged to stand on their own feet and provide for themselves, nothing wrong with that as a principle. In practice the problem was that it extended to health and education, those least able to pay for these services from their own pocket were those also most likely to suffer from a degradation in public services either through use or working within them. The reason that these policies appeal to Tory voters is because, like many living in Arundel and Southdown, they are often fairly comfortably off and least likely to rely on public services.

If anything the other parties should be gratefull to Flight, so far he has achieved something that none of their electioneering or advertising has, shown the Tory party in its true colours.

 

[simonsimon]

Very True.

 

[Dick Knights Mumm]

He's my MP, and although I've never voted for the bloke I would have considered it this time. Blair took us to war on a lie - it wasn't his sons or daughters risking their lives. If democracy means anything - it means that Blair must be kicked out.

 

[DJ Leon]

He's my MP, and although I've never voted for the bloke I would have considered it this time. Blair took us to war on a lie - it wasn't his sons or daughters risking their lives. If democracy means anything - it means that Blair must be kicked out.

That would depend on the majority of the electorate being against the war. The last figures I saw suggested that the majority were for the war (think middle England, think TORY!), also quite a lot of people with anti-war sympathies either don't vote, wouldn't vote Labour anyway or are under 18. I'm pretty sure democracy is going to return Labour and Blair to government, just as it put George W Bush back into the White House in November.

 

[bigc]

yup the grey vote.the anti war people wont turn out, they wont kick blair out, they'll kick themselves...metaphorically

 

[simonsimon]

Howard Flight is refusing to go quietly!
Hopefully this situation could run and run.
Michael Howard looked very uncomfortable at his press conference today.The press only wanted to ask questions about the truthfull tory's sacking.

 

[bigc]

we all know how good Michael Howard is at answering the given question

 

[Storer68]

Apparently he's my MP though I bet he's never set foot in the South Downs part of his constit. And what a class

I can't really see what the prob here was. He merely said what we al know to be true because the Tories will not have a clue about the state of the public finances unless they actually get into power. Therefore they cannot sensibly say what "savings" (a euphamism for cuts) thay can make

Hardly a surprise tho considering that so far in my life, all spent in the same palce, I have been in Lewes (ahh Sir Tufton Beamish where are your now?), Mid-Sussex and now Arundel & South Downs

 

[caz99]

i work in Arundel and my directors are friends of his. I had to laugh and gloat though this morning as most people i work with are bled blue through and through. on a personal note i really dont care, hes no worse or better than any other politician from any party. they all lie.

 

[Gully]

Storer 68, I can sypathise with you on the constituency issue, I grew up in Storrington and as far as I can remember we were at one time part of the Shoreham (Richard Luce, resigned during the Falklands War) and then Horsham before becoming part of the new seat of Arundel and South Down. I had hoped at that stage that as the new seat had no urban areas that the new MP might be someone who would stand up for rural areas, the restructuring of the Police presence and the removal of policing from the villages showed that this would not be the case.

 

[simonsimon]

Richard Luce-: a total waste of space!